Chapter 32: Chapter 31
Sister Shitou, also known as Emma Stone, didn't have many scenes on set—just three or four. One of the most crucial was a close-quarters fight scene between her character, a female assassin, and the protagonist, John Wick, in a hotel room. This was the only scene she shared with Xu Can.
After these few scenes, Sister Shitou's character would be eliminated by the organization behind the scenes. The hotel room fight was one of the most intense scenes in the film, full of high stakes and violent action. As opponents, Xu Can and Sister Shitou had to go all out, with the fight becoming incredibly fierce.
The choreography included using sheets to strangle, brutal punches to the face, over-the-shoulder throws, and ground acrobatics. Although they were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, in this scene, they had to be ruthless, trying to kill each other.
Xu Can flawlessly executed the ferocious moves while staying completely in character. On the other hand, Emma Stone struggled, and the director frequently had to shout "Cut!"
"Let's take a 5-minute break… Emma, don't push yourself too hard. Take a moment to adjust," said Director David Leitch, sounding exasperated. He knew Emma and Xu Can had a close relationship, and with Xu Can being an investor, he felt awkward about reprimanding her too harshly.
Feeling guilty, Sister Shitou repeatedly apologized. Xu Can pulled her aside and asked, "What's wrong? We usually have our mock fights in the hotel—aren't you wild enough? Why can't you let go on set?"
"You're terrible!" Sister Shitou's face flushed as she punched Xu Can playfully, embarrassed by his teasing. The "battles" he referred to were their private playful skirmishes, not the same as filming on set.
"I'm just afraid of hurting you," she admitted. "Some of these action moves are quite dangerous, and you refuse to use a stunt double."
Both had decided against using stand-ins, choosing instead to do the scenes themselves.
"You know I can handle it. Don't worry about me," Xu Can reassured her.
"It's just… when I look at you, it's hard to summon the fierceness needed for the scene…" Sister Shitou confessed, touching his face gently.
"Well, I have a trick for you…"
A little later, they resumed filming.
"Action!" the director called out, and the camera began rolling again.
This time, Director David Leitch noticed a distinct change in Emma Stone's demeanor. Her eyes now burned with intensity, and she completely transformed into her character—a female assassin bent on killing John Wick.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and every punch felt real. The crew on set watched in awe, fearing the two might actually hurt each other. After a series of intense and realistic sequences, Sister Shitou's character was finally thrown to the ground, crawling out of the hotel room, gravely injured.
"Cut! Perfect! That was brilliant!" the director exclaimed, thrilled with the outcome. They had finally captured the brutal essence of the scene.
A female assistant quickly helped Emma Stone, who was sore from the action, to her feet. Even though it was just acting, both Xu Can and Emma had sustained some bruises from the falls.
"Ouch, that really hurt," Emma Stone grumbled, wincing.
"Emma, you nailed it this time! What did Xu say to you?" the director asked, curious.
Sister Shitou had a peculiar expression, recalling Xu Can's earlier advice: "Just imagine I'm making out with Emma Roberts and Taylor Swift… and they're all over me…"
The thought of such a scene had instantly ignited a fierce jealousy in her, flooding her with the intensity needed to perform the scene perfectly. Xu Can had also felt the heat in her gaze, and it had taken him aback.
"All right, Emma. Remember, it was all pretend. We're done with the scene now," Xu Can said, trying to calm her down.
"But what if it was real?" Emma Stone asked, raising her chin defiantly.
"No way. You have to trust me," Xu Can responded, though he felt a twinge of uncertainty. If Taylor Swift really did get close to him, who could say what might happen?
January 28th marked the release date of Spider-Man in Mainland China!
In 2007, no significant films were slated for the New Year. Old favorites like The Return of the Leaves, the postponed Casino Royale, and The Golden Jacket dominated the theaters. With most of the audience having already seen them, many shows were playing to near-empty theaters.
However, the cinemas hesitated to allocate more screens to Spider-Man. It seemed as though pressure had been exerted on China Film by influential forces behind the scenes. Another significant reason was that domestic audiences and the film industry didn't hold much regard for Hollywood's live-action comic-book movies, often dismissing them as inferior. The domestic market placed its trust in acclaimed directors like Spielberg and Cameron, or big stars like Schwarzenegger. Directors like Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang were also favored, especially for New Year's films.
Given that Spider-Man director Mark Webb and actors Xu Can and Emma Stone were relatively unknown, it was unsurprising that the film was overlooked domestically. After all, even Hollywood initially didn't believe in Spider-Man's potential.
Despite these challenges, Spider-Man officially hit theaters in Mainland China!
Xu Yuling, Xu Can's cousin, was eager to see the film, but her final-year high school tutoring classes ran until 5:30 PM on release day. As soon as class ended, she rushed out, determined to catch the film with her family.
The other students in her class, curious about all the buzz, began to wonder if Spider-Man was really that good and if it was true that Xu Yuling's cousin played the lead.
Intrigued, some of them decided to check out the film, thinking, "Even if the story isn't great, at least the special effects should be good."
When they arrived at the cinema, there was hardly any line for tickets, as Spider-Man had received a lukewarm reception. Meanwhile, Xu Yuling and her family were already seated, eagerly awaiting the film's start.
As the theater darkened, the familiar green background of the Columbia Pictures logo appeared, followed by the Sony Pictures title. When Xu Can's handsome face appeared on screen, Xu Yuling couldn't contain her excitement—it was really her cousin!
"He's grown so much more handsome since he was a kid," her family remarked, proud of Xu Can's achievements.
As the plot unfolded and the action intensified, the audience found themselves completely absorbed, the bucket of popcorn sitting forgotten. Meanwhile, Xu Yuling's classmates, who had been skeptical, were now utterly astonished.
"Wow! He's really Chinese! And he's really her cousin?"
"He's so cool! This movie is amazing!"
The classmates were thrilled, having never seen a film that delivered such an intense visual and emotional impact.
"The greater the power, the greater the responsibility."
"Who am I? I am… Spider-Man!"
When the students emerged from the theater, they were buzzing with excitement.
"Did you see that first-person perspective? It was so intense!"
"And the fight scenes with the Green Goblin—those were incredible!"
"The plot was great too! Xu Can's performance was outstanding!"
"He's so handsome; no wonder he got cast as Spider-Man!"
"I'm officially a Marvel fan now!"
As the students left, still talking animatedly, they attracted the attention of other passersby. A couple stopped Xu Yuling to ask, "Hey, is Spider-Man really that good?"
"Definitely!" Xu Yuling replied, beaming with pride. "It's the best movie this year—totally worth it!"
As Spider-Man continued to dominate worldwide, its influence began spreading rapidly across the Chinese film market.
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